Last Time Out: The Bulldogs (1-5-1, 0-1) earned their first victory of the season, and the first under head coach Billy Lesesne, on Sunday vs. Samford. A penalty kick by senior defender Bella Hartley in the 14’ lifted the Bulldogs over Samford 1-0. Georgia held the opposition to just four shots on goal. The Bulldogs buckled down and gritted their way to victory when Samford amped it up late in the game attempting to tie the score.
Goalkeeper Louise Hogrell finished the game with four saves, including several punch-outs on dangerous crosses sent in by Samford. The sophomore played all 90 minutes in goal.
Looking at the Tigers: LSU (5-1-2, 0-1) has experienced a good amount of success early on in the 2015 season. The Tigers are coming off of a weekend that saw them lose a tough overtime match on the road against Alabama last Friday night in their SEC opener. They were able to bounce back and knock off 21st-ranked Duke at home on Sunday.
The Tigers rely heavily on sophomore Jorian Baucom and junior Summer Clarke to do most of their goal scoring. The two forwards, combined, have 12 of the team’s 16 goal this season, with Baucom’s eight goals leading the SEC.
The early part of LSU’s season has been highlighted with wins over Oregon, Minnesota, Indiana and Duke. The Tigers lone loss came at the hands of Alabama. They tied both Northwestern State and Ball State.
The Bulldogs own a 9-5-2 all-time record vs. the Tigers with Georgia taking last year’s match 2-0.
Georgia’s match against LSU will be the first of three games this season to be aired on national television. The game will be shown on the SEC Network. The Bulldogs’ match against Texas A&M, on Sept. 27, will be shown on ESPNU and their game against Florida, on Oct. 29, will be aired on the SEC Network.